The number of students heading to state schools in the fall is on the rise in Stoughton, according to the school’s guidance department.

Stoughton’s 259 graduates of the Class of 2013 are moving on to more than 80 different colleges, trade schools and military careers.

“All state schools are getting more applications,” said Barbara Regan, the Stoughton High School director of guidance. “More of our students are choosing to go to (state schools) for financial reasons and based on their high academics.”

The state schools that graduates plan to attend include UMass-Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Salem State University and Worcester State University.

Many students appear to be heading out of state to colleges including Louisiana State University, High Point University in North Carolina and Florida Gulf Coast University, the school best known for their Cinderella run in the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Graduates also have enlisted in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps and National Guard.